Seed vigor measurements and their use in predicting field establishment of grain pearl millet (pennisetum americanum)
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Date
1978
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Publisher
Kansas State University
Abstract
The aim of the experiment was to measure vigor in grain millet varieties. Seed vigor is very critical for millet field establishment. Also, the purpose of the experiment was to evaluate the several methods used to determine seed vigor in other cereals and select the one most appropriate for pearl millet. Several criteria were used to select the best test e.g. correlations, ranking, rank means, and the Kendall coefficients of concordance. In the laboratory, standard germination consistently was higher than germination following the stress tests because the non-vigorous seeds were killed during the harsh treatment. It was also noted that the vigorous varieties performed well in both laboratory stress tests and in the field. The opposite was true for non-vigorous seeds. Therefore, highly significant differences in vigor were observed among varieties. Each vigor test was then evaluated for its ability to predict field establishment of millet.
Criteria included:
1. Correlation with field establishment
2. Ability to rank millet varieties according to field performance. The vigor test having the lowest rank means coupled with high correlations with field establishment was selected as the best to predict field establishment.
Based on these criteria the NaOH treatment appeared to be the best vigor test although all vigor tests were similar in ranking the varieties as vigorous, non-vigorous or between the two. The biggest problem in millet establishment even for vigorous seeds lies in the inability of seedlings to break through the soil crust after it has rained heavily or silting over or wash-out during early stages of field establishment (first week after planting). Any or a combination of the above factors will adversely affect their establishment.
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Seed vigor, Grain pearl, Pearl millet